HERE TO STAY

PART II: New Beginnings

Chapter 19

TRIS

"Come on Tobias!" She whined, "Is this blindfold really necessary?" She sent a pout to the general direction of where she last heard Tobias given that she wasn't able to see. She heard him chuckle and she desperately wanted to the cloth off. It wasn't itchy but it was irritating her the core—it was Egyptian cotton, the best of its kind. Regardless of whether the fabric was silky smooth or rough as concrete, she really didn't like stumbling around blind. Moreover, she just wanted to see him and where he was leading her.

"Just a little while longer." He tried to comfort her. It really didn't work.

She brought her fingers up to the fabric and began tugging at its ends. Her heart jumped when she felt warmth radiating from her hands. It was Tobias. Tris could finally feel her fingers again; the constant wind and the cold were wearing down her skin and chapping away at her palms. His fingers entwined with hers and she dropped her hands, letting him guide her. For that moment, she forgot how annoyingly infuriating the blindfold was, and the need to rip them off.

The fuzzy feeling inside shifted from her hands to her core, then up to her cheeks. She could feel his hot exhales breathing down her neck, and it sent shivers riveting through her body. Her own breaths grew uneven; she felt she had forgotten how to breathe. His hands were still firmly pressed into hers and she grateful for this, as it was the only thing holding her up. They had stopped walking a few minutes ago but that hadn't crossed her mind—it was too busy thinking about the morning they had shared only moments earlier. Everything else that had happened since had been pushed far from thought; the only thing spurring the evening to come faster was Tobias' promise—the promise that tonight would be special and very highly anticipated.

"When you said fun, this was definitely not what I expected!"

Laughter, "Well, it was either this or stay moped up at home."

"I said I wouldn't of minded that!" She replied, "In fact, I'm pretty sure that I said I didn't mind snuggling."

"No, I suggested snuggling, you wanted to have fun! So that's what we're going to do. Have fun."

"But we were going to have heaps of fun at home too!" She whined.

The only response was a chuckle and she puffed out a hefty sigh. He wasn't giving her much rope to go on; in fact, she was pretty sure his and her definitions of fun were very different—if not, entirely different.

She could feel her feet come to a halt, "Tobias?" His name now coming out in shaky mutters, "Why have we stopped walking? Are we there yet?" She couldn't decide whether it was the cold weather or the silence that came from Tobias' half that didn't sit well.

She was getting too fidgety, they had been at a standstill for quite some time, and everyone knew, she wasn't known for her patience. She opened her mouth to begin her protest but stopped herself when she felt the binds falling away from her face. It took a moment to adjust to the sudden change in brightness but it wasn't long before she got to appreciate the view—and no, she wasn't talking about Tobias—but they were both gorgeous anyway. They were standing on top of a small hill overlooking a huge pond of ice that had transformed into a mini ice-rink. There were people of all types and ages; adults, teenagers, families and people much like themselves.

She suddenly felt the urge to join the happiness that erupted from below. They were all clearly enjoying themselves but a second thought pulled her back. She had neither the proper gear nor the knowledge to skate. She would be a sitting duck out there—or possible, a falling duck. Either way, the outcome would be most unpleasant… Not to mention the constant teasing that would ensue.

Nonetheless, her inability to deny him anything allowed him to lead her to the edge of the rink. She followed, stumbling every second step but he was there to hold her, his fingers digging eagerly into her hips.

She was nervous, what if I made a fool of myself? The look in his eyes confirmed that either way, he would be there to help her up. The smile smile she received said it all; he was thinking the same thing; he probably knew her better than she did. It was strange but oddly comforting. She shot him the most dazzling smile she could muster and let the same feeling of excitement overwhelm her.

Of course, being the most vigilant and careful man he was, Tobias had already planned and hired out skates that fit perfectly. There was a speck inside her that wondered if he had measured her feet to the precise millimeter. This left a goofy smile on her face.

"What's so funny?" He asked, snapping her out from her weird but wonderful thoughts.

"Nothing." She answered quickly, the same grin on her face.

He narrowed her eyes at this but didn't say anymore.

Once they had laced up their skates, she let him guide her to the edge of the ice. With shaky steps, she let her first foot glide onto the smooth surface. Her stomach felt uneasy as the second foot joined the first. Balancing herself was probably the trickiest thing she had had to do in her entire life and to ask her to skate was ludicrous. While she had the toughest of times trying to steady herself—even with the use of the barriers—she couldn't manage to stand properly. Her knees jutted out at awkward angles as she clung onto the rails desperately. She soon found herself panting; tiny sweat beads dotted her forehead.

She heard Tobias chuckle, most likely having the best time of his life. She flung her head around and shot him the angriest face she could muster—which was definitely not effective, judging by the response she received. She couldn't manage to utter out a word, all of her concentration firmly pressed into staying on her feet. It would be a disaster if she let herself fall now. She had gotten this far, she would not let some five year old best her at skating. She would never be able to live that one down.

"Having trouble?" She could basically hear the smirk in his words.

"No." She squeaked, and her foot trembled beneath her weight. She dug her fingernails into the wooden barrier and shut her eyes in terror.

He chuckled. "Are you sure?" He coaxed, but did so rather smugly. And right then and there, all she really wanted to do was wipe that arrogant smirk off his face. Instead, she settled for surprising him in the only way she knew—which really shouldn't have shocked him so much by now—a kiss shouldn't have left him in such awe. He really should've known full well that when she couldn't find a verbal comeback, she would always get the last word (well, not literally).

At least the kiss did what she intended. It was only a small peck on the lips but Tobias stood there, possibly in some trance of happiness with a goofy grin plastered on his face. Despite all his attempts to be manly, he was a boy when it came to kissing.

He rubbed the base of his neck sheepishly, a blush sweeping across his cheeks. "What was that for?"

Tris rolled her eyes, "To shut you up of course."

He followed suit and rolled his eyes too. Tris watched as he opened his mouth but no words came out. She was about to make a snarky comment but when she saw his eyes widen, her stomach began to feel jittery. He was staring at something in the distance, and she swung herself around and scanned her eyes over the ice. Expecting to meet some sort of hostility, instead, she saw friendly faces.

"Christina?" To say she was surprised would be an understatement. "What are you doing here?" But regardless, she pulled her old roommate into a massive hug.

Christina laughed and returned the hug, "Well, we were actually out of town for the weekend too and well, when Tobias called, we couldn't resist coming to say hi."

"You didn't have to drive all the way out here just for me." Tris felt slightly guilty, but Christina words lingered in her mind, when did Tobias call Christina? Moreover, how does Tobias know Christina?

"It wasn't just for you, it was for me too!" She laughed, "And it wasn't that long, like an hour tops."

Tris nodded, the sudden resurface of old friends made her feel nostalgic. She was sullen when she found that Tris wasn't actually staying on campus but rather with her family. Family. Tris huffed. The word 'family' made her core feel queasy.

Just as she thought she couldn't get any more surprises, there he was. "Will?" She exclaimed, not as happily as she had to Christina but nonetheless, glad to see him.

"It's good to see you too Tris." He laughed, throwing his arms around her, embracing her in an affectionate hug.

She felt Tobias stiffen but she placed a hand on his, squeezing it tightly, as if to say, we're just friends. His tense posture eased up a little and there didn't seem like there were any traces of red in his eyes. His movements were still jerky and sometimes, Tris would catch him flinching when Will made any sudden movements around her. The overprotective side shone out, now brighter than ever, and all the while, she held his hand as the three of them chatted.

They caught up the lost month with playful banter and giggles. Tris had forgotten how much she missed this—missed her friends. Despite knowing Christina briefly and Will for even less, she felt like they were long-time friends. Their conversation was easy; everything flowed naturally and it pleased Tris to see Tobias chirping in occasionally.

After the trip, Tris had abandoned all her old friends, claiming she didn't need anyone but her studies. How untrue that was... If only she realized this earlier, it would've saved her the heartache of losing friends—friends she couldn't afford to lose. Nonetheless, they chatted away like there was nothing wrong, and she felt happy. Content with the man whose arms were wrapped around her securely and glad that she had gotten her old friends back.

"Are we here to skate or what?" It was Christina.

"No, we're here to eat dinner." Will remarked back playfully, which earned him a light punch in the arm from his girlfriend. He shot her his best puppy dog eyes and she placed a soft kiss on his nose.

"Sorry." She whispered and his eyes shot up in triumph.

If it weren't for Tobias' cough, their little moment together would've ended soon. They turned around slowly, cheeks a beetroot colour, "Sorry you had to see that." She muttered, "Shall we go?" That was directed at her boyfriend. Grinning, he led her to the centre of the rink, leaving Tobias and Tris to themselves.

"I thought they'd never leave." Tobias spoke.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, "That's not very nice." She chastised.

"You're right, sorry." He apologized, "I guess I should be thankful to them, after all, they did manage to put a smile on your face."

"They're good people Tobi—" She didn't even manage to finish her sentence before she was lost in his lips. He pressed his body closer to hers as he backed her into the rails once more.

When their lips parted, he placed his head on her forehead, "I know. I just couldn't wait until they left so I could do that."

"Do what?" Tris smirked. Despite her best attempts at keeping a cool exterior, her insides felt like they were burning: her breath hitched and suddenly she felt aware of every part of her body—the patch of skin where his hands now laid to the miniscule sweat beads on her forehead. The kiss left her chest heaving, craving oxygen. Their eyes never left and it sparked with desire once more.

"This." His lips came crashing down on hers once more, which she couldn't help but smile into. The ice was cold beneath her feet, despite the shoes blocking out most of the chill, but the heat arising from the attraction between them overpowered all her senses. Nothing could distract her from this—him.

The hands on her hips brought her back to reality. He was hovering over him, eyes bearing into each other like there was no tomorrow. The pull, the lust, the desire between them was all that held her in place. The other skaters and the cold weather was lost in her thoughts, the only matter on her mind was the man inches from her face, his lips barely grazing hers. The urge to lean up and kiss him was so strong; it took only milliseconds for them to touch.

This kiss was nothing like they've experienced. It was short but it was amazing. It was surely the beginning to a very magical night.

Sighing in content, she leant into Tobias' chest. Everything was falling into place—her life, her first love. Everything was perfect.

"Tris?" Their eyes locked in an infinite gaze, "There's no doubt in the world that you're the one I want to be with, to hell with the consequences! I don't care if this, what we have, lasts another day or the rest of our lives. I just want to spend the rest of our time together… I don't know how long that will be. All I know is, I want—I need you in my life." A small smile spread across his face but it wasn't happy, there was a hidden sadness behind it. "I don't guarantee your safety and I definitely can't protect you from all my secrets no matter how much I would like to…." He sighed, "But regardless of the way we end, I would like to leave knowing that you knew everything about me."

Their eyes locked and the world stopped spinning, "Nothing will happen to us Tobias. I know our past hasn't been a golden road, but there's nothing in this world that would stop me from being with you." Everything that she said was true.

Despite her attempts at moving on, there was no denying that nothing had been as amazing as this had been. In their short and brief history, there were mistakes, lies, and secrets. All, that when thrown together, caused chaos and broken hearts. However, no matter how much she had tried to claw herself from what they had, the attraction was still there—he still wanted her… And she still wanted him.

"I love you Tris." There was nothing better in this world than hearing him say those three words.

"And I love you Tobias."

They were a match so imperfect—it was perfect.

It was Tobias who broke the moment, "We should probably join them on the ice."

"I think they can manage without us for a few more minutes." Tris whispered into his ear, and the moment that was just disrupted turned hot once more. Their legs were tangled and the only thing propping them both on their feet was the stable rail digging into her back.

"Later." Tobias reminded, his husky voice teasing her. She began to whine but he placed a finger on her plump lips. "We can finish this later but right now, we're supposed to be having fun. Remember?"

"Yes." She pouted, "But just saying… I'm going to make you wish that later is right now." She purposely let her lips brush his ear, sending butterflies throughout his body. His breathing got caught in his throat and she smirked in victory, "Yes, I think I will have heaps of fun." She concluded; her voice laced with lust and hunger.

A/N: Well, I tried with the fluff... It was such a rush job! Let me know down below if you would like this story to contain heaps of smut? Like it will, but would you rather detail or just skim over it? And for those who have asked, a new chapter will come out every 3/4 days usually, regardless of how many reviews.

Thanks for your support so far!

REMINDER: This story is solely written by myself (with the exclusion the actual Divergent series who belong to Veronica Roth—this is just my adaption of the books) and is unbeta-ed, meaning there isn't a second author who goes over my work. So you will have to excuse me if you find mistakes as this story is only a one-man team.